Kozlowski: If convicted, Blago will join legacy of Illinois corruption

‘ ‘ ‘ It was more than a trifle embarrassing to have my home state thrust into the house of… ‘ ‘ ‘ It was more than a trifle embarrassing to have my home state thrust into the house of national consciousness at 6 a.m. Central Time. Even more depressing is the realization that scandal is not so unusual so as to be unheard of. The only unusual end to this story is that the governor accused of corruption was publicly humiliated. ‘ ‘ ‘ If convicted, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Ill., or ‘Bleeping Blago,’ would be the second consecutive Illinois governor to go to federal prison. George Ryan, who preceded him in this dubiously esteemed office, is currently serving time in the federal penitentiary in Terra Haute, Ind., and is seeking a pardon from President Bush. Ryan’s conviction stemmed from numerous accusations of graft. Most odious of these was a scandal from when Ryan served as Illinois Secretary of State. In return for donations, this office granted commercial drivers’ licenses to some who had no business holding them, with unfortunate and, in one case at least, tragic results. ‘ ‘ ‘ It would be convenient to gloss over these two individuals as somehow aberrant. It would be similarly convenient to wonder if the federal prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, made a mistake. However, there is a larger culture of corruption in this state that makes almost anything sound plausible and likely. ‘ ‘ ‘ Chicago has had some astonishing allegations of corruption in city government. Nineteen-year-old building inspectors. Trucks hired to do nothing. Affirmative-action contracts given to white-owned firms. High-level indictments in the water department. The stories sound fantastic to anybody not a native of Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage and Will counties. However, to the more than 6 million residents who live in these counties, this is politics as usual. ‘ ‘ ‘ It has been politics as usual for a long time, too. The city was built on pork twice-over ‘mdash; once from the meatpacking houses and once from the pork-barrel. Johnny Powers, a notorious Chicago alderman of the 19th Ward on the West Side, was known as a ‘boodler,’ or an expert at securing bribes and similar consideration in return for government favors. ‘ ‘ ‘ Oddly, he sounded remarkably like Blagojevich when facing an investigation: ‘I will show the press that unwarranted attacks cannot be made upon an innocent man … I defy the world to prove I have ever done a serious wrong.’ This fiery quote ran in The New York Times of Jan. 9, 1898, in an article bemoaning the ‘Corruption With Which Chicago Is Larded.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ So, what happens next? Blagojevich has decided to fight the charges, and his lawyer, Edward Genson, has been running around Springfield proclaiming just how innocent his client is. The General Assembly, however, is probably not going to wait for a conviction in federal court and might move to impeach the governor following its re-assembly on Jan. 6. ‘ ‘ ‘ Talk of impeachment is not new in Springfield, and some citizens of the state wanted a recall amendment to be added to the constitution for the express purpose of removing the governor. However, the programs intended to remove the governor have been blocked by one of Blagojevich’s few friends in the Assembly: Senate President Emil Jones Jr. Indeed, it is interesting to wonder if House Speaker Michael Madigan’s reluctance to open impeachment proceedings had anything to do with the difficulty of obtaining a conviction of the governor in the Senate. With Jones retiring, this logjam is removed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Meanwhile, anyone vaguely associated with government has tried to distance himself from the governor. Lisa Madigan, daughter of the Speaker, has been particularly strident, and as attorney general of the state she has attempted to have Blagojevich declared incapacitated by the Illinois Supreme Court. This sort of toughness from the attorney general’s office is probably nothing more than a large display for political purposes. ‘ ‘ ‘ How much of a difference will this chaos make to the Illinois political scene? It’s hard to say. If Patrick Fitzgerald remains the U.S. attorney in the Obama administration, we will probably see more indictments and convictions of influential politicians. However, Fitzgerald’s future might not be certain, and, if the history of Illinois is any indicator, the ‘Illinois Combine,’ as the graft-ridden system is called, will likely survive this investigation and roll on to more golden times. Senate seats at discount prices! Write kozthought@gmail.com.